The Civil-Rights Showdown Nobody Remembers

When the Supreme Court handed down its decision in Brown v. Board of Education, on May 17, 1954, it was big news. The Times gave the story banner headlines and ten pages of coverage. The case had been before the Justices since 1952, and it was common knowledge that a decision had been in the works. Many people probably anticipated the outcome, although maybe not that the opinion would be unanimous. Everyone, though, had the same question: Now what? 

There is a reason for all the Hogwarts-like trappings that surround the Supreme Court—the...